There is a letter out that talks about nitrates and checking the coolant strength every 10K miles and some hours. Can't recall the # of hours off hand.

Cavitation...that is what eats at things.

 

What is cavitation? If you dont mind a stupid question.

 

She is headed back to dealership today. Still using coolant and looks like at a faster rate than before I took it the first time. One would think if in fact the radiator was leaking and they put in a new radiator the last thing to happen would be losing coolant faster than before. I am wondering if they couldn't actually find the problem before and chose to install new radiator in hopes that would solve the issue and get me on my way.

 

Keep us posted on your out come.Mine is at the dealer now getting a new radiator.The more I read on this and other web sites the more you see on this and other radiator problems. Ford should step up to the plate on this but I guess they would say it not a safety matter. Just $$$ This just is not the way to treat your customers FORD!

 

It's almost what your name is. I don't know how it works on a truck but I'm guessing the impeller in the water pump does what the prop on a boat does. At just the right speed and angle a boat prop will build a pocket of air around itself. (spin out) On inboard/ out board motors that creates a situation where the water intakes do not get water and the boat overheats. I suspect if the impellar did the same thing then the water pump would quit pumping and the truck would over heat. At least that's how I remember cavatation, it's been awhile since I messed with boats. Sennix, how close did I come?

 

Hey sennix, where do you get your test strips. I used to be able to get a couple at the dealership but the last time I tried the SA said no can do. Napa sells them but only in a set of about 20 and I use one or two a year and they expire in a year or less. Anywhere I could buy just a few.

 

Getting mine from NAPA as well. Yeah kind of a waste but that is the only place i have found them myself.

 

OK, thanks. I got a few from a chebby dealer a few years back but it's so far over there I may as well just buy from NAPA.

 

Cavitation is the formation of gas bubbles of a flowing liquid in a region where the pressure of the liquid falls below its vapor pressure. Cavitation occurs when a liquid is subjected to rapid changes of pressure causing the formation of gas or vapor bubbles in the lower pressure regions of the liquid. When entering high pressure areas these bubbles collapse on a metal surface continuously, causing cyclic stressing of the metal surface. This results in surface fatigue of the metal causing a type of wear called cavitation. The most common examples of this kind of wear are pump impellers and bends when a sudden change in the direction of liquid occurs. Cavitation is usually divided into two classes of behavior: inertial (or transient) cavitation, and non-inertial cavitation.

Since the shock waves formed by cavitation are strong enough to significantly damage moving parts, cavitation is usually an undesirable phenomenon.

 

Thanks for the explanation guys. If I may take this one step further how does testing nitrates help prevent cavitation? Does cavitation happen when coolant gets broken down (old)?

Truck Update: The o-ring from the top radiator hose to the motor was leaking. No biggie I have heard of this before. Pick it up Friday and topped it off with coolant Saturday morning because it didnt look like they had added any. Drove to bank and back (about 5 miles) and then going to change fuel filter. I like to never got the bottom one off by the way. Climb under truck and what do I see, small amount of coolant leaking. You've got to be kidding me!!! I go ahead and change filters and be sure to check coolant level while cold. Looked as best I could to see where the coolant was coming from with no luck. Drove the truck about 100 miles that day and was going to check when I got home. Looked at the truck that night and everything was dry and looked to be good to go. Sunday Morning - checked degas bottle, coolant is now below cold fill line again. Drive about 5 miles get back home crawl under truck and coolant is slowly dripping. Finally after about 30 minutes trying to spot the source it looks like its leaking from the same hose where the o-ring was replaced. After speaking with the service manager this morning he assured me they tested it and I had not replaced a radiator for no reason. At this point thats all I really have to go on is his word. I am headed back there now with the truck and hoping they can actually fix it this time.

 

Don't know what NAPA charges but you can get 4 test strips for $5.67 from:
CTS-3 Three-Way Antifreeze Specifications

Chuck
08 F450

 

Hey thanks. I don't remember what I paid at NAPA but it's a container of 50 strips. Mine expired in Jan. Funny thing I just remembered. the last time I bought I looked at the expiration date and it was already passed. good thing I cought it.

 

Hey thanks. I don't remember what I paid at NAPA but it's a container of 50 strips. Mine expired in Jan. Funny thing I just remembered. the last time I bought I looked at the expiration date and it was already passed. good thing I caught it.

 

Got the truck back last week and guess what ....o-ring was still leaking. So here is what I have found out. If the truck is leaking coolant due to o-ring and you are out of your 3/36K warranty period you get a new o-ring. If you are still in warranty period you get newly designed radiator hose with double o-rings and what looks like a heavier duty connection at the engine side of the hose. The dealership put the new hose on and looks to have solved the problem. Still keeping a close eye on it though. As always I appreciate everyones input and hopefully someone else can gain a little insight if they ever run into this.

 

My F350 KR is out of warranty by age (07-2010) but I have 23,101 miles on it. The upper radiator hose is leaking also. Did Ford replace yours under warranty or charge you for it. They told me about $300.00 and THIS IS NORMAL maintenance at this mileage. I've had Ford trucks since 1970 and this one has been in the shop more than all of them combined.